A Tiger's Call
by Shiro
Summary: (2/20/03) *Chapter 6 up* A girl by the name of Doushin Nodoka finds herself pulled into an ancient book, which seems somehow tied to the phantom image of a white tiger.
1. The Locked Room

**A Tiger's Call**   
Part 1 - "The Locked Room"   
By Jannah P.

(For reference sakes, this story takes place approximately a hundred years after the original Byakko no Miko died. These characters were, for the most part, created by me, so please don't use them without permission and whatnot. ^^ Nodoka is 17, in case you were wondering. ^_- This is also my first FY fanfic, so bear with me...) 

Despite the beautiful day outside, Doushin Nodoka was content to remain inside the library's walls. She had been working there for the past year, and she adored her job. During her younger years, she had frequented the library two or three times a week. Now, she had the pleasure of frequenting it every weekday after school. Her job, generally speaking, was to return books and other such written items to their proper locations. Today, she had her work cut out for her.      As she pushed open the glass doors and shed her heavy winter coat, the elderly woman behind the reference desk greeted her. Nodoka smiled and waved, retrieving a pile of children's books from a library cart. The elderly woman called her to the reference desk, and the girl complied quickly.
  


"Good afternoon, Nodoka." 

"'Afternoon, Fugen-san." 

"Could you do me a favor? I can't leave this desk until my shift ends, but there is a book I wanted to look over from upstairs. It's in the third room on the left, second floor. The title is.." She scratched her graying locks. "...'For Heaven and Earth', or something like that, I believe... Do you think you could bring it to me?" 

"Of course." 

"It wouldn't be too much trouble, would it? I could always wait.." 

Nodoka smiled. "No trouble at all. I think I'm heading for the second floor anyway, to return some old newspaper articles." 

"Thank you, dear." 

Nodoka hummed a quiet tune to herself as she ascended the stairs to the fourth floor. She decided to shelve the books in her arms in the children's section on the fourth floor before retrieving Fugen-san's book. She half-expected the children's room to be full of screaming youngsters and their frustrated parents at this time of day. Strangely enough, the children's room was practically empty. A toddler playing with a stack of blocks looked up from his position on the floor to watch her approach with large brown eyes. She knelt down beside him to ask, in typical adult fashion, what he was spelling out, and he continued to watch her. No, now that she was this close to him, she could tell that he was looking _past_ her.      She turned her head slightly to find what the child was staring at and inhaled sharply; a large white tiger stood near the stairwell several feet behind her. Its eyes locked onto hers, and it raced towards her. Her eyes widened, but the tiger passed right through her as if she weren't even there. The toddler followed the tiger with his eyes and sniffled when it vanished upon reaching the fiction shelves. Nodoka shivered, unconsciously clutching the pile of books closer to her chest. She stood and moved towards the shelves, still somewhat shaken by the ghostly apparition.
     Her thoughts turned constantly to the phantom tiger as she placed the books back in their appropriate places. The toddler continued to watch her, and she began to find his steady gaze unnerving. She returned the last book to the shelf and tucked a stray strand of blood-red hair behind her ear. The child followed her with his eyes until she re-entered the stairwell, then returned to playing with his blocks.
  


"Second floor," Nodoka repeated to herself, "second floor, third door on the-" She paused. "On the-" She blinked, struggling to recall the older woman's words. "Second floor, third door on the - right." She stopped at the hallway of the second floor. "That hallucination must have frightened me more than I thought." Walking down the hallway, she noted the eerie silence around her, broken every so often by her echoing footsteps. To take her mind away from this observation, she mentally counted the doors as she passed them. The third door on the right was at the opposite end of the hallway, only a few steps away from the opposite stairwell.      Nodoka tested the doorknob and found the door to be locked. Puzzled, she tried the doorknob a second time, with the same result. She checked behind the label-plaque on the door in the hopes of finding a key; her hand only touched smooth wood. Nervously pulling back her blood-red hair, she suddenly recalled the key given to all the workers at the library. It was supposed to open any door in the building. After rummaging through the pockets of her skirt, she pulled a small key from the right side.
     As she had thought, the key fit comfortably into the door's lock. She found she had to jiggle the key a bit before the lock gave way. Although curious as to why the door had been locked, Nodoka pushed it open and entered the room. Cobwebs covered scattered piles of old newspapers and textbooks. Thick dust stirred as she walked through the room in search of the book Fugen-san had requested. The eerie silence of the hallway permeated the room as well, and the girl felt as if no one had entered the room in quite some time. The shelves were nearly empty, littered here and there with scraps of paper or the occaisonal book.
     Nodoka paused in the middle of the third aisle, a cold chill running up her spine. She turned, and her eyes fell on the ghostly apparition of the tiger. They remained there, staring at each other, for what seemed an eternity. She felt her throat grow parched, and nearly jumped out of her skin when an audible (and rather loud) thud stirred the dust behind her. She turned, attempting to calm herself with the assurance that a logical explanation was imminent. Her eyes sought out the source of the sound, and came to rest upon a hefty book lying on the floor in the center of the aisle. Wondering if it could possibly be the book she was searching for, she tramped over and lifted it gingerly in both hands.
     The book was ragged, with a worn brown cover and a frayed binding. The title was hardly decipherable, the faded words 'Heaven and Earth' the only remainder of the book's original title. The book appeared ancient. Nodoka sniffed the air; the book _smelled_ ancient, too. A tarnished clasp kept the book closed tightly. It seemed no amount of fumbling would open it. On a whim, Nodoka stuck her key into the clasp's lock. The lock gave way with a quick click, startling her. Fearful that the book would fall apart in her hands, she was overly careful when opening the cover.
  


"This is the story of one girl who, having gathered the Seven Seishi of 'Byakko', acquired the power to make any wishes come true... The story itself is an incantation. One who finishes the book shall acquire the same power as the heroine and her wishes will come true... As soon as the page is turned, the story will become truth and begin." Nodoka stared at the first page. "Where- isn't there a title page at all?" She glanced at the cover once more and found that it didn't quite look as old as it had originally. The characters written there were clear now, reading _Shi Jin Tenchi Sho_ - The Four Gods of Heaven and Earth. Nodoka flipped to the first page and read the words printed there again. 

"As soon as the page is turned..." Her fingers touched the bottom of the page and a voice startled her. Large brown eyes stared at her from the open doorway. The toddler from the children's room. He laughed happily, attempting to point out Nodoka to his mother. The woman didn't seem to notice the girl standing less than eight feet away and soon proceeded down the hall. Nodoka turned to the second page of the book and was surrounded by a brilliant white light. The phantom tiger appeared a third time before her, and she found herself falling. Reality as she knew it turned inside out; she closed her eyes.      The book crashed to the floor, far sturdier than Nodoka had first thought. The characters on the cover gleamed, and a faint roaring reverberated through the room.

  


******** 

Sand whipped past Nodoka's face, stinging where it hit. She squinted against the billowing sandstorm, but found nothing useful. 

_Where am I?_

Always having been able to think better when speaking aloug, she opened her mouth and was rewarded with a mouthful of sand. Coughing, she stumbled forward. Sand stung her eyes, so she instinctively closed them. Walking blindly, she groped in front of her with one hand; there seemed to be no end to the sandstorm in sight. Deciding that the sharp stings of the sand were better than no vision at all, she opened her eyes just as a thick tree branch smacked her in the back of the head. She fell to her knees, choking on the sand and dust filling her lungs. Her crimson hair merged with the shifting sands as she tumbled face-first to the ground. 


	2. Rescue in Nyosei

**A Tiger's Call**

Part 2 - "Rescue in Nyosei" 

By Jannah P. 

"I think she's coming to. Jian, bring me some more water, and a few more strips of cloth, if possible." 

Something cold made contact with Nodoka's forehead and she shrugged it off. This elicited a positive reaction from the group surrounding her. Someone ordered quiet, although the demand was ignored. Nodoka slowly opened her eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the sudden light. She was lying down amidst several bedsheets on some sort of pallet. Gathered around her were three young women, at least one around her own age, and a middle-aged woman with a basin of water balanced in her lap. The middle-aged woman smiled warmly as Nodoka turned her head to survey her surroundings. The room was plain, and the walls looked wooden. The group of women surrounding her were all garbed in elaborate costumes out of some movie set in Ancient China. 

"What happened?" Nodoka asked quietly, pale green eyes watching the middle-aged woman intently. Her attempt to sit up was met with a sharp pain running up her right arm. With an exclamation of pain, she sank back down onto the pallet. "What is this place?" 

"We were hoping _you_ could tell _us_ how you wound up here," the middle-aged woman answered calmly, setting the water basin on the floor. "Leyi discovered you about a half day's walk from our gates during one of her patrols, and -" 

"You were in _really_ bad shape! Leyi brought you back here, and Miss Dailin patched you all up!" 

"Hush. Let me finish." The woman identified as 'Miss Dailin' touched the back of her hand to Nodoka's forehead, then stood with a satisfied nod. "Don't try and move around too much, dear. Your arm was pretty badly injured - your head, too." She reached down and retrieved the water basin from its place on the floor; looking at Nodoka's puzzled face, she smiled warmly. "This is Nyosei, dear. I can't really say how you wound up here. My best bet.." She adjusted the position of the water basin in her arms, and a dark-haired girl moved to help her with it. "Thank you, Hualan. Now, as I was saying - my best guess as to your arrival is a shipwreck in that storm we had yesterday." She sighed. "Get some rest. Musu-sama will want to meet you. Until you feel well enough to meet her, you may remain here. Leyi will watch after you." Miss Dailin smiled once more, then left the room quietly. Two of the girls followed her, but the third remained.      The girl identified as Leyi seated herself on a stool in the corner of the room. She kicked one foot in the air, impatiently tapping a steady and silent rhythm. Her silvery eyes remained fixed on Nodoka throughout, and Nodoka found herself staring at the ceiling just to avoid the girl's unnerving gaze. She wished desperately to be able to get out of bed; as if in answer to her wish, her arm throbbed lightly. The sheer silence permeating the room and those around it sent a shiver down Nodoka's spine.
  


"Miss Lady alright?" Leyi questioned suddenly, placing both feet on the floor in anticipation of Nodoka's response. 

"I'm fine," Nodoka answered, wincing as she turned her head to look over at the girl. "Nyosei.. I've never heard of that before. Is it in Japan?" 

"Japan?" Leyi blinked several times. "Leyi doesn't think so. Nyosei is -" Here she stood, laughing. "Nyosei is in the east." She pointed to one of the walls extravantly. "East of Konan, and east of Kutou." She pointed to the opposite wall. "West of Sairou and Hokkan." 

Nodoka sighed again, far more confused than before. She assumed that 'Konan,' 'Kutou,' 'Sairou' and 'Hokkan' were places as well, but the names were unfamiliar to her ears. She decided to try a different tactic. "What is Nyosei?" 

"Nyosei." 

"That's right. What is it?" 

"Nyosei is... Nyosei!" 

Nodoka leaned her head against the pallet's pillow. This line of questioning was getting her nowhere. A female voice called from the hallway, barely audible at first. It grew in volume until its owner was undoubtedly on the other side of the door. The door creaked open, and a girl Nodoka's age stuck her head in. Her eyes swept the room in an instant, taking in Nodoka's seeming frustration and Leyi's bouncing foot. Pushing the door open farther, she bent over and whispered in Leyi's ear. The seated girl jumped up happily, grabbed the newcomer in a bear hug, and leapt out the door without even a goodbye. The second girl leaned her head out the door, watching Leyi's progress down the hallway. After a short time, she closed the door and seated herself on the stood beside the bed which Miss Dailin had vacated. She waited a few more moments before adressing the bedridden girl. 

"Sorry for that. I think Miss Dailin is becoming senile, to leave someone like Leyi with a sick girl." She smiled at Nodoka, brushing stray locks of dark hair away from her eyes. "I figured having a more intelligent companion would serve you well, for a while." She leaned forward slightly. "How _did_ you wind up on Nyosei? It's a long distance from the other kingdoms, and you don't look like a sailor." 

"I - " Nodoka paused. "It's all a bit fuzzy. I remember going to the library for work, as usual. There was something about a book. A book and a tiger." She shook her head, which elicited another wince. "All I remember after that is sands and a sharp pain in the back of my head." 

The girl leaned on her intertwined hands, dark eyes twinkling as she watched Nodoka. "The tiger is the animal representation of the country of Sairou, to the east. You must be from Sairou, then." She laughed, her voice the sound of chiming bells. "A ship from Sairou crashed on our shores a few days ago. There weren't many survivors - we picked up about three. You must have been on that ship as well. It makes sense." All of a sudden, the girl stuck out her hand, nearly jabbing Nodoka in the face. "I'm Hualan." 

Nodoka blinked at the sudden movement, then gingerly moved her free arm to shake Hualan's hand. "Nodoka." She struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain lancing up her injured arm due to the pressure. Hualan wordlessly offered support, and Nodoka smiled gratefully as she succeeded in sitting up. The room and the hallway beyond were still quiet. Nodoka opened her mouth to ask about it, but Hualan's attention was turned to the firmly closed door. A faint deep voice could be heard in the distance, only a few words audible to the girls' ears. The voice was followed by a second, of higher pitch, and a third with the sound of velvet.      Nodoka strained to hear the conversation between the three, leaning forward on the pallet. Her free hand unconsciously tightened on her blankets. The velvet voice laughed deeply and said something, which was followed by a loud **_crack._** The second, higher pitched voice, added something, but the first voice said nothing. A door slammed somewhere in the building, and heavy footsteps passed by the door to Nodoka's room moments later. The velvet voice was speaking again, happily. Hualan's dark hair fell across her shoulder, her dark eyes still turned to the door.
  


"Hualan-san, what _was_ that?" 

"N-nothing." Hualan turned back to Nodoka, her hands tightening on the fabric of her clothes. "Just some trouble with one of the- prisoners." She avoided Nodoka's eyes, gazing at the hands folded neatly in her lap instead. Nodoka watched the door, her eyes unwavering. 

"Prisoners?" 

"From a shipwreck," Hualan answered, standing up without giving Nodoka a second glance. "I really don't want to speak about it, Nodoka-san. Excuse me." Turning her back on the startled bedridden girl, Hualan moved to the door and left without another sound. She carefully closed it behind her. Nodoka, still sitting up, blinked. A shipwreck? Prisoners? _Why would Hualan not want to speak about it?_ Nodoka reached across her body, gingerly avoiding contact with her bandaged arm. Slowly, she pulled the covers away from her body, keeping her injured arm as close to herself as possible. She winced at every slight touch to her wounded arm. Swinging her feet around, she noted the absence of her shoes. Looking down, she discovered a pair of soft slippers beside her pallet. She slid her feet into them, although still wondering where her shoes were.      Carefully, she leaned against the pallet with her free arm and stood on shaky feet. The slippers helped to cushion her feet, but she wondered how far she would be able to get with her injuries and lack of knowledge about her current location. She moved her hand away from the pallet in an attempt to stand on her own. It took several minutes before she felt secure with her still-shaky legs. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward. Her slippers against the wooden floor sounded as loud as a cannon to her ears. She inhaled sharply, hoping no one could hear her movements. Afterall, she didn't want them to think she was well enough to go wandering.
     Nodoka exhaled slowly, making her way to the door. Silence seeped through the door and walls from the hallway as she reached out to pull the door inwards. It opened silently, as if aware of her intentions and need for quiet. She slipped through, closing the door behind her. It touched her injured arm ever so slightly before closing, and she found herself biting her lip to prevent from crying out. The pain racing along her arm subsided to a dull throb, and she continued on her way down the hallway. It was uncannily empty. Her mind recalled the direction from which the voices had come. West. Then down somewhat. That seemed about right.
     Her steps brought her to an iron door half-askew. Her attempts to pull it open farther were futile; she simply didn't have the strength. She found she couldn't fit through the existing opening, but was certain the voices had come from the room beyond. Familiar voices further down the hallway startled her. Her eyes frantically searched for a temporary hiding place. She settled on the room across the way, praying it to be unoccupied. The footsteps halted beside the askew door. The iron door was moved, and the high-pitched voice from before swore.
     Nodoka opened the door to her room a crack, pale green eyes recognizing the figure of Hualan. The two other women with her were unknown to Nodoka. One carried herself like a warrior, with flaming red hair exploding about her face. Her garb was less decorative than the clothes of the other two and fit tightly to her well-endowed body. She towered over the other stranger, who was just barely two inches taller than Hualan. The second stranger's black hair obscured Nodoka's vision of her face, hanging down the woman's back to taper off below the waist. Portions of her hair formed loops on the top of her head, and a golden crown kept them in that position. Her outfit was far more elaborate than anyone else's that Nodoka had seen, trailing on the floor behind her. Behind the two, Hualan looked small and uncomfortable.
  


"Calm down, Daoji. He couldn't have gotten far," the velvet-voice belonging to the dark-haired woman whispered silkily. "We made certain he would have a hard time if he attempted to escape." She laughed gaily. 

"Of course, Musu-sama," the redhead replied, although her face said otherwise. "We'll begin searching for the prisoner immediately." 

"_Do_ that, won't you?" The velvet-voiced woman turned to Hualan. "Come, child. There are preparations to be made." The redhead bowed and left in the opposite direction. 

"Yes, mother." Hualan and the velvet-voiced woman turned and proceeded back down the hallway in the direction they had come. Nodoka waited several breathless moments after both sets of footsteps had faded away in either direction before creeping out of the room. From beyond the iron door, she heard heavy gasping. Curious, she noted that the redheaded woman had actually pushed the door open _further._ Making certain to hold her injured arm close to her body to avoid any accidents, she stepped through the open doorway. The space beyond was dark and filled with a musky odor. She squinted to make out the source of the heavy breathing and took several more steps into the 'room.'      Her eyes adjusted to the dim light after a few moments, enabling her to see that what lay beyond the iron door was no room at all; it was a dungeon of some sort. She was currently in a chilly hallway, with an emphasis on chilly. She absently tugged her skirt down slightly in an attempt to ward off the cold. Chains rattled nearby, drawing her attention to the sudden sound. A barred cell stood to her right. Inside was a figure kneeling on the floor, arms held against the wall by chains. As if sensing her gaze, the figure looked up through thick gray-green bangs.
     Nodoka inhaled sharply. The figure was a young man, hardly a few years older than herself. His dark green eyes seemed glazed, and his left cheek was covered in a red mark the size of a woman's hand. A wound over his right eye mingled blood with his hair. His clothes were foreign as well - unlike the costumes of the women Nodoka had met. Or rather, what remained of his clothes was foreign. The top half of his outfit was badly torn; the skin beneath was covered in thick welts and various bloody wounds. The young man gasped for air once more, and the faintest of white glimmers seemed to fade away just below his left shoulder. Nodoka blinked, and it was gone. Shaking her head in disbelief, she took a step backwards.
  


"N-no.." She took another step backwards, her eyes still locked on the pitiful form before her. A voice called out her name from somewhere behind her; her mouth continued to silently form the word 'no.' Slim hands gripped her shoulders. 

"Nodoka-san.." Hualan wrapped an arm around Nodoka's shoulders, leading her somewhat forcefully away from the dungeon-hallway. The heavy iron door remained askew behind them, but now Nodoka's gasping breaths drowned out any sounds from behind them. "Nodoka-san..." Hualan's voice was softer than before, more sympathetic. "You weren't supposed to see that." 

Nodoka had no reply. 


	3. A Dagger at the Throat

**A Tiger's Call**

Part 3 - "A Dagger at the Throat" 

By Jannah P. 

Nodoka, seated once more on the pallet provided, stared at the girl she had come to consider _friend._ That sight... She shuddered, her mind unable to relinquish the image of the beaten young man in chains. _You weren't supposed to see that._ Pale green eyes matched Hualan's nervous pacing, unblinking. 

"Hualan..." The dark-haired girl continued her pacing, seemingly oblivious to the other girl in the room. "Hualan, what _was_ that?" Nodoka swallowed the lump which had risen in her throat. Hualan stopped, mid-pace. Her dark eyes found interest in the wall while one hand clenched around the fabric of her clothes. Nodoka swallowed again. "Was that... one of the prisoners you mentioned?" 

"Yes." The answer was hardly audible, although Nodoka was certain she had heard it. Or perhaps she heard what she wanted to hear. Hualan's hand tightened, balling into a fist at her side. Her eyes remained fixed on the wall, but her voice gradually grew to a normal volume. "There was a shipwreck a few days ago - three survivors, like I told you. They tried to take advantage of our hospitality." Her dark eyes shone, her eyebrows moving in a sign of anger, even as her voice became quiet once more. "I told you I didn't want to talk about it." Still clenching her fist around the fabric at her thigh, she turned her back to Nodoka. Her last words before leaving the room were a warning if the teenager had ever heard one. _Don't try and go in there again. Something just might happen, Nodoka-san._ With that, Hualan was gone. For some strange reason, Nodoka had the feeling she wouldn't see Hualan again anytime soon.      Shivering more from fright than anything else, Nodoka wrapped herself in the blankets of her pallet and tried to shake the young man's image from her mind. Every closing of her eyes brought back the tortured look in those dark brown orbs the young man turned to her upon her entrance. She shook her head furiously, drawing the blankets tighter to herself. _How was it possible? What could he have possibly done, and what of the _other_ prisoners? What condition could they be in..._ She drew her knees to her chest unsconciously, wrapping her good arm around them while keeping the other close to her body. _I don't want to keep seeing that face, that tortured look.._
  


"Nodoka?" The sudden knock on the door startled her. Of course, the sudden entrance of the dark haired woman from before immediately following the knock startled her even more. The woman raised a slim eyebrow at Nodoka's sitting position, and Nodoka hastily dropped her feet to the floor while tugging her skirt down to cover her legs. The woman nodded absently at these actions, gazing around the room with a specialized eye. Her nose scrunched up at the observation that the only places to sit were stools. For some reason unknown to Nodoka, the woman remained standing in all her finery. 

"That's your name, correct?" Her voice held the underlying quality of velvet, a soothing quality utterly lost on Nodoka's current condition. Nodoka nodded wordlessly. "Yes, Hualan told me so. She also mentioned that you happened upon one of our less - hospitable rooms." The woman glanced around the room once more, as if this one was also 'less hospitable.' Her dark eyes finally settled on Nodoka's slim form, still wrapped with the pallet-blankets. Her eyes betrayed her amusement at this, although her actions and voice did not. "I will assure you that what you saw is not the standard with our prisoners. That one - well, that one has proven most difficult." Raising an eyebrow once more, her dark eyes gleamed. "Difficult and rather dangerous. You mustn't get to close to him, of course. It could be most dangerous for your health." She inclined her head towards Nodoka's injured arm, encompassing the girl's bandaged head as well with a hand gesture. 

"What did he do, that he is considered so dangerous?" 

"Oh, this and that.." The woman's avoidance of the question was oddly suspicious. She grinned slyly, stepping closer so as to lean in for effect. "_Murder._ He murdered **ten** of our best warriors upon his arrival. Said all he wanted was some rest, food and shelter, since he was shipwrecked and unaware of where those with him were. We were, of course, happy enough to give him these things and hurry him on his way - we don't quite like having male ruffians about - but he threatened us, killed ten warriors when we tried to stop him. It took twenty more to subdue him. That is, knock him unconscious so we could properly secure him in a dungeon cell. It was a _terrible_ day." She sniffled, dabbing at the corner of her eye with the trim of her sleeve. Her tears vanished in a moment, however, as she straightened in order to complete her original speech. "Which is why we intend to find him as quickly as possible. I have some of my best warriors out searching for hi-" 

"Excuse me, but why are they searching for him?" Nodoka's face scrunched up in puzzlement. "He's still right there." 

The woman shook her head, chuckling under her breath. "_That_ one has some sort of magic, Nodoka. He can make it seem he is one place when he truly isn't. You probably saw an illusion meant to trick us into believing he is still safely locked away. Now, I intended to meet with you when you were well, and despite the fact that you were out and walking about, you don't look much better than you did when you were brought in. So, rest up and once you are fully recovered, we'll be able to talk about sending you home." 

Nodoka's eyes widened at this last part, although they had been gradually widening all during the story concerning the young man. "Sending me home?" 

"Why, yes. Hualan tells me you're from Sairou. It's quite a distance, I'll give you that, but we should be able to find a way to get you back. We're always happy to help a fellow woman in distress." The dark-haired woman smiled, although it didn't quite seem as sincere as Nodoka would have thought, took one final glance around the room, and left before any more questions could be asked.      Nodoka sat watching the closed door, her free arm pulling the blankets around her body once more. _A murderer..._ She shuddered. _I wouldn't want to be near him. Yet.. I _know_ I saw him there. It was too real to be an illusion._ The woman's words echoed through the girl's mind. The murderer was able to create illusions to trick the eyes.
  


"That was no illusion," Nodoka whispered, the sound of her voice slicing the silence like a knife. "I can't explain it..." She pushed the blankets away from herself, letting them settle on one side of the pallet. "I just **know** that wasn't an illusion." Five quick steps brought her to the door. Her hand reached out to grasp the thick cord serving as a door handle. _It was those eyes._ She tugged the door towards her, cringing as the force reverberated through her injured arm. A tall pale-haired woman standing beside the door turned sharply to face Nodoka and effectively block the only pathway out of the room. 

"Is there something you'd like me to get you?" 

Nodoka blinked, unconsciously taking a step backwards. "I wanted to walk around the building to calm my nerves a bit." The woman's critical stare unnerved the girl, who found herself fidgetting as she waited for a response she believed would be negative. 

"It's really not safe for you to be wandering around right now," the woman answered, exactly as Nodoka had suspected she would. 

"I-I know. I'm a little jittery, I suppose. Seeing that-" The woman nodded, evidently misinterpretting Nodoka's nervousness. She stepped aside enough to let Nodoka pass, watching the girl with crystal clear eyes. Nodoka bowed upon passing the woman, thanking her in a soft voice. 

"Don't let anyone know _I_ was the one who let you past, girl," the woman answered, "but I know what it's like to want to get out for a while. Don't be long, or I'll have to go find you and bring you back." She mumbled something under her breath, then impatiently waved Nodoka away. Nodoka bowed once more, then turned and headed down the familiar hallway. She was certain the pale-haired woman would continue to watch her progress until she was out of sight. Luckily, the hallway bent around a corner before arriving at the iron door.      It was still askew, although it now looked as if someone had started to move it back into place but gave up part-way through. The chill from the dungeon beyond seeped out into the hallway, seeming to form ghostly fingers that beckoned Nodoka to enter before fading into nothingness. She shook her head. _Only illusions._ Brushing back strands of blood-red hair from her eyes, she stepped towards the door and the image of the battered young man she couldn't seem to shake. The ghostly hands seemed to curl around her feet as she stepped closer to the dungeon beyond, swirling in dust-like eddies that dissipated as soon as she focussed on one.
     The room was far colder than it had been. The ghostly hands swirling about her feet dissipated gradually into the floor, as if vaporous dry ice. A non-existant wind blew them in lazy circles as she stepped further beyond the iron door. The cell was the way it had been before. She could see that now, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Chains kept the young man in place, his head dejectedly lowered towards the floor. Her steps brought her within a foot of the cell's door. The chains rattled, and the young man looked up through gray-green bangs as Nodoka felt a sudden pressure at her throat.
  


"Don't move," a deep voice whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened as she sought to get _some_ inclination as to who was behind her. Her gaze fell on the young man, but the cell was empty; ghostly tendrils slithered around and between the chains, which she could now see were lying perfectly still on the ground. She would have laughed aloud had the tip of a dagger not been hovering dangerously close to her throat. _So it was all an illusion afterall._

"Start moving towards the door." A hand pressed against the small of Nodoka's back, and she swallowed the rising fear in her throat. Wordlessly, she took a step towards the door, then another. Her eye caught a hint of gold beside the iron door, the stone beneath it darkened. _So that's where the dagger came from._ She averted her eyes, attempting to calm her stomach as she reached the open doorway. "Don't try anything," the young man whispered, the pressure at her neck never ceasing. The quiet squeak she found herself able to make as way of reply was the only sound her fear would allow.      They moved out into the hallway; he must have looked around, but she couldn't be sure. A nudge in the small of her back started her walking forward. The silence of the hallways was massive, ready to crush the two if they remained in one spot for too long. Her slippered feet were noiseless against the stone floor, as were whatever footwear he was wearing - she couldn't recall if he _was_ wearing any footwear. _What a stupid thing to be thinking of.._ She felt her eyes welling up with tears at the thought of being killed and dumped in a ditch on some remote island she had never even heard of. How would her family find out? How long would they wait for her to come home until they gave up entirely?
  


"Drop the weapon, _prisoner._" Nodoka blinked back her tears, feeling the pressure at the small of her back lessen as the young man turned slightly. The dagger, unfortunately, remained at her throat. The large redhead along with three other women of equal height and build stood further back down the hallway, each carrying a sword or other such sharp weapon. The redhead's weapon was, of course, already in her hand. She repeated her demand. 

"Nodoka-san!" The voice was Hualan's, from up ahead. The girl stood in the middle of the hallway, her hands covering her mouth in surprise. Her dark hair fell half across her shoulder, and the young girl she was with had fled in terror at the sight of the captive girl. Hualan took a hesitant step forward, stopped, and stared miserably. 

"If no one attempts to stop me, no one will be hurt," the young man called out to the women on both sides of the hallway, his voice loud enough to carry to any others who may be in the vacinity. Ghostly hands curled around his feet and Nodoka's, swirling outwards to reach out for the redhead and her companions on one side, and Hualan on the other. The hands formed into claws which tore upwards, grasping at anything they could touch. Hualan turned and ran without a moment's thought, and the young man lightly shoved Nodoka forwards. Behind them, the redhead swore as the ghostly hands swirled around her and her companions. 

The hallway seemed endless - a corridor to the realm of death, with ghostly hands pointing the way. 


	4. Escape

**A Tiger's Call**   
Part 4 - "Escape"   
By Jannah P.

Her captor never ceased the constant pressure at the small of her back, pushing her endlessly forward. The hallways seemed oddly silent and empty - perhaps the women she had met had no concern for young girls doomed to die at the tip of a blade. Nodoka swallowed the fear rising in her throat, her eyes resting on the sliding door which led to the outside. Outside. Away from this strange palace. She felt her eyes water, inwardly questioning why she would be saddened to leave. She still had no idea what or where she was. Yet... _the women here had been so kind._

She stumbled, and her captor's free hand moved from the small of her back to steady her, carefully avoiding any pressure against her injured arm; he didn't say a word. They reached the sliding door within a few steps, and he slowly turned the both of them around so that his back was to the door, and freedom. His free hand slid the door open, and he backed out into the heavily forested front garden, still pulling Nodoka with him. The door remained open behind her, and she could now make out the faint sound of heavy running footfalls. Her captor took several more steps backwards before ducking into a cluster of bushes. The dagger fell away from Nodoka's throat, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her captor took several steps away from her, then sank to the ground, breathing heavily. The crimson-haired girl backed away from him, winding up against a tree. He didn't seem so frightening, like that... The crumpled body behind the prison door and the lingering memory of the dagger tip at her throat jolted her back to reality. 

"You're a.. a murderer.." the words were little more than a whisper on her lips. "Wh-what do you want with me?" 

"What do I want with you?" he repeated through heavy breaths, gingerly tucking the dagger inside his oriental-styled costume. 

"You killed those women, and now - and now - " Nodoka found herself twisting the hem of her skirt with her free hand. She took another step backwards, hitting her other arm against the tree trunk. The sudden jolt of pain running up her arm reminded her of the sling - and her handicap. 

"You think I'm going to kill you, it seems," the young man replied, having recovered somewhat from his loss of breath. He clambored to his feet, listening for the sounds of his pursuers. 

"Please - I'm of no importance. I don't even belong here. I'm just a high school student who works in the local library. I-" She was stopped as the young man raised a finger for silence. Nodoka shut her mouth, listening as well. Again, footfalls could be heard, although these were closer than before. The young man turned to her, finally. 

"If you're of no importance, they wouldn't miss you, ne?" Nodoka's eyes widened. "Heh - fooled you, girl." The young man grinned, running a hand through his gray-green bangs. Dark green eyes peered at Nodoka's ashen face. 

"But.. the dagger.. and those women.. the boat.." 

He chuckled softly. "They must have told you an interesting story. It's true I use a dagger, and I _did_ kill one of the women on this island - the one you undoubtedly saw in that prison cell. As far as a boat is concerned - " He stopped abruptly, listening for the footsteps again. They were closer. Closer and louder. His voice grew quieter in response. "they sank the one I was sailing on, from Konan to Kutou. We were ultimately from Sairou, but the trip required a stopover to change ships." He shook his head. "They sank the ship and either killed or captured all the men aboard. I was one of the lucky ones, I guess - captured. A friend of mine had his heart ripped from his chest and crushed in front of his face all before he had the chance to die." The footsteps were nearby now, accompanied by shouting female voices. The young man stretched himself out on the ground, motioning for Nodoka to do the same. "Whatever you do, stay quiet until they pass," he hissed. She nodded, swallowing hard. 

The footsteps became louder, several stopping beside their hiding place. Voices called to each other, and other footsteps moved away in various directions. Someone swore under her breath, and a final pair of footfalls marched away from the bushes. The young man sat up, glancing through a hole in the nearest bush to check for their pursuers. Satisfied that none were nearby, he turned around to face Nodoka. 

"Why would they tell me such a horrible lie, though?" she asked quietly, sitting up as well. 

The young man shrugged. "Any number of reasons. Probably because you were a stranger and may have helped me escape were such a story not told to you beforehand." He glanced at his clothes, noting several rips along the sleeves and large gashes across the front. "Guess I'll need a change of clothes when we get out of here, ne? Speaking of which.." He peeked through the bushes once again. "Don't seem to be any of them around. C'mon. We should be able to get at least to the edge of the island. From there, we can try and find a boat." He turned his head slightly to see if Nodoka was agreeing. "Oi, sit down! They'll see you for sure!" 

"I'm very sorry!" Nodoka exclaimed, bowing as low as her injured arm would allow. 

"Hey, hey, there's no need for that!" The young man stood up himself, stepping around the nearest bush before offering his hand to Nodoka. "You'll need to be careful with that arm - what was it?" 

"Nodoka. Doushin Nodoka" 

"Nodoka-san. Well, be careful with that arm, ne?" She placed her hand in his, and he pulled her from the bushes, releasing her hand almost immediately. He glanced around them, searching for the Nyosei royal army. "I'm Shou Guihun," he said in way of introduction without turning his head. He motioned with one hand, then proceeded forward cautiously. Nodoka followed as silently as she was able. 

********** 

Almost as soon as they started out, Guihun motioned for a stop. He moved behind a tree, practically yanking Nodoka behind him. Several feet ahead were three armed female warriors, all of them on full alert. Guihun shook his head. 

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to keep doing this. I'll be dead on my feet by the time this day's over." He sighed. "Can't be helped, ne?" With that, he closed his eyes, a faint glimmer of white appearing just beneath his left shoulder. A faint wind stirred the grass at their feet, and Nodoka recognized the same misty hands as before. They swirled out from Guihun's feet to move towards the women up ahead, taking shape into Guihun's form as they did so. The women up ahead shouted, catching sight of the ghostly young man, who proceeded to run in the opposite direction. Without a second thought, they followed him past the trees where Nodoka and Guihun were hiding. Guihun opened his eyes, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. 

"Are you alright, Guihun-kun?" 

"Yea. I just usually don't have to keep doing that under these kind of conditions. I need a break." He took a deep breath. "Well, we better use the time that bought us. They'll be chasing that ghotsly figment for a while, but they'll probably figure it out eventually. Hopefully we'll be long gone by then." He moved out of the protection of the trees and headed through the forestry at a brisk pace, Nodoka trailing. They encountered no further difficulties, which caused Guihun to be overly cautious, stopping every few steps to listen for sounds of pursuit. 

"That symbol," Nodoka began after some time, "the one that appeared on your arm when those ghostly hands formed. What is it?" 

"It's just that - a symbol," Guihun answered over his shoulder, "it means 'net', or something like that." They proceeded forward, arriving at what appeared to be the island's shore. "I don't like the feel of the air," Guihun muttered, the ghostly hands already beginning to swirl around his ankles. Waves lapped quietly against the shore, soaking through Nodoka's slippers. Guihun's dark green eyes searched the waters for some sign of a ship, although the chance of that was highly unlikely. His eyes locked on the cliffs rising from the opposite shore. Perhaps he could signal a ship from there..? It was worth a shot. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Nodoka. 

"Can you swim?" 

"Not well..." She looked out at the water, then across to the cliffs Guihun seemed interested in. "It might just be safer to stay here, Guihun-kun." 

"I fancy keeping my eyes right where they are, thank you." 

"W-what?" Guihun chose to ignore Nodoka's ignorant and shocked reaction, instead dissipating the ghostly hands around his ankles. Mentally, he measured the distance to the opposite cliffs. He glanced at Nodoka, then back to the water. How deep was it? He couldn't tell. I his current weakened state, there was no way he could carry her, and the poor girl was too naive to be able to survive on her own. How long until a ship passed by? How long... _Maybe it wouldn't be necessary to wait and flag down an approaching ship._ Guihun surveyed the shore, walking some distance in both directions. _Where would they keep all the ships they've hijacked?_ He spotted what he was seeking further along the shore, half-hidden by overgrowth.      It was the remnants of a ship, badly burnt and completely unusable. The masts were all splintered, at least one lying within ten feet of the ship. The locations of the others was unknown. The only thing remaining of the sails were tattered scraps of cloth clinging to the splintered wood that had once been the masts and upper deck. The hull was peppered with cannonball-sized holes, allowing several of the inner cabins to be readily seen. Scrambling over the wreckage of the main mast, Guihun climbed aboard the ship's remains, searching. Nodoka watched from the ground, clutching her injured arm to her chest. She lifted one foot, then the other, in an attempt to shake off some of the water that had thoroughly soaked her slippers. The effort wasn't quite a success, and resulted in one slipper flying into a nearby shrub.
     Blood-red hair falling over one shoulder, Nodoka scrambled into the shrubbery around them in search of her lost footwear. Soggy as it was, it was all she had at the moment. She had forgotten to ask for her shoes before the whole - incident. _How could they have lied like that?_ The slipper, now covered in dirt and a few leaves, dangled from her free hand as she lifted it from its resting spot. Brushing away the dirt and leaves, she tucked her foot inside and scrambled from the bushes to check on Guihun. When she reached the side of the dilapidated ship, she found him practically ready to burst.

  
"I can't believe it! This is better than I had thought!" 

"What is?" She stood on her tiptoes to get a better look at what Guihun was speaking of. 

"This!" He raised a pair of wooden oars above his head, waving them around enthusiastically. "We can pull off a chunk of the wood from the ship, jump on, and row the raft across the way to those cliffs! It's great!" He dissappeared behind the side of the ship again, digging around. "Ne, are those women anywhere nearby, Nodoka-san?" 

Nodoka looked around, poked her head around a nearby tree, then shook her head. "Doesn't seem li-" Voices. Close voices. Close female voices. Close ANGRY female voices. "G-G-Guihun-kun.." 

"Ne, what is it?" 

"They're heading this way." Her voice dropped to a whisper as Guihun's head appeared above the side of the ship. He paused to listen for a moment, then reached his hand over the side. 

"C'mon. We'll hide in here until they pass by, then we'll construct that raft and head for the mainland. Maybe a ship will pick us up on its way to Hokkan." Nodoka walked to the side of the ship, reaching up her hand. He grasped her arm in both of his hands and managed to pull her up after several tries. The voices grew louder, seemingly within a few feet of the ship. The pair ducked, and Guihun motioned for them to head down below to the space beneath decks. Nodoka nodded, and they proceeded down one of the holes in the upper deck. 

"Rotten tricks. We'll find that blasted _male_ if we have to scour every inch of this island." 

"We've sent scouts out already, ma'am." 

"Send more. I want this one brought back _alive._ I want the satisfaction of killing him myself. We should have done that when he first came ashore." The voices continued talking, now directly outside the ship. 

"Heh - YOU were the one who wanted to keep him around, Rian." 

"I think we should make him into a nice soup - or maybe a wine..." The women's voices trailed off as they walked past, laughing at the thought. In the bowels of the ship, Nodoka could see Guihun's outline plastered against the far corner of the room, his green eyes wild. Faint tendrils of ghostly mist swirled around his body, glowing the same faint white as the character on his arm. Nodoka tucked her knees against her chest and leaned her back against one wooden wall of the room to wait. 


	5. Dyed Colors

**A Tiger's Call**

Part 5 - "Dyed Colors" 

By Jannah P.

Rain pounded against the battered upper decks of the dilapidated ship in which Nodoka and her former captor had taken refuge. Evidently, their pursuers had also taken refuge from the rain, although probably in a far drier place. The palace, no doubt. Nodoka brought her knees closer to her chest in an attempt to conserve as much warmth as possible. Her school uniform seemed far from practical right about now, but there was nothing that could be done about that. The already-soggy wood above her head leaked water, dripping on her hair and clothes every so often. It was only a matter of time before the upper deck gave way completely and the pair found themselves drenched in rainwater. Pale green eyes watched the shadowy form huddled in the corner - perhaps for warmth, perhaps reliving memories best forgotten. 

_Would the rain **ever** let up?_ Nodoka sighed. There was nothing that could be done. The couldn't even build a fire, partially due to their shelter being wooden, partially due to the fact that it was raining heavily. Her nose twitched, and she sneezed rather loudly. Her eyes watered of their own accord. 

"Here." She glanced up suddenly to see a hand shoving a partially torn garment in her direction. 

"I couldn't. You'd probably catch pneumonia." 

"Heh. Now you're worried about my health? Wasn't it only a few hours ago when you thought I was a murderer out to kill you?" Nodoka looked away, mumbling something inaudible. Guihun shook his head, shrugged, then tossed the garment in Nodoka's direction. It landed over her head, draped around her shoulders. She looked over at the still silhouette in the corner. She couldn't accept it. She opened her mouth to say so, but a loud crack of thunder overhead caused her to duck, huddling inside the jacket-like garment draped across her shoulders. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, her injured arm throbbing. Pale green eyes remained tightly shut against the vision of the lightning flashing overhead. Another crack of thunder sounded, and Nodoka cringed, attempting to curl herself into a tighter ball. How long would the storm last? 

"The rain's not so bad." The voice was Guihun's. He seemed far more at ease than she was, leaning against the side of the cabin with one leg stretched out in front of him, the other half-bent. Her visions of him were limited to the light provided by the flashes of lightning, which frightened her to no end. He opened one dark green eye, water dripping from the roof of the cabin to splatter on the fabric of his shirt. A flash of lightning revealed his companion as a huddled mass beneath the overgarment he had thrown to her. She was one unusual girl, alright. _A Nyosei woman against killing..._ The idea was absurd. 

"It's... it's not the rain that frightens me," she admitted after a while, when the peals of thunder seemed to have died down. She stared at the rain-soaked floorboards, her words occaisonally blotted out by fat droplets of water splattering against the pair, the walls, the floor. "I don't like thunder much - I don't really know why, to tell the truth." 

"This sort of storm is nothing, compared to the ones we get in Sairou. Those involve sand blowing in every direction, as well as speeding winds. The thunder there sounds like a tiger's roar, probably with good reason. The one thing I can't stand about them is the fact that no rain falls, or very little." He sighed. "Rain's pretty uncommon. In my home village, water was always hoarded." He grinned. "My family always had a decent amount, because of this." He pointed to the spot beneath his left shoulder where Nodoka had seen a glowing white symbol several times prior. 

"Thunder like a tiger's roar..." Nodoka pulled the overgarment tighter around her, blood-red bangs falling into her eyes. 

"Yea - Sairou's the country of Byakko, the tiger god. Makes sense then, ne?" Nodoka nodded, slowly. "Yea.. I wonder how the village is holding up. We were going through a pretty bad drought when I left. When the bunch of us left." His eyes seemed to glaze over. "We never thought something like this would happen." Dark green eyes remained staring straight ahead, lost in memories he would undoubtedly never forget, no matter how hard he tried. Gray-green bangs obscured what little vision Nodoka had of his face; after a while she gave up trying. The rain beat a steady rhythm over their heads, broken either by a faint crack of thunder in the distance or the soft splatters of raindrops on the floorboards around them. 

*************

"Nodoka-chan.... Nodoka-chan....The blood-haired figure stirred slowly, pale green eyes opening slowly. They were greeted with a pair of dark eyes framed by thick-framed glasses. The eyes blinked, and a smile spread across their owner's face. "You must have been working hard." 

"Y....yes..." Nodoka found herself seated in one of the library's cushioned reading chairs. Her arms were folded across the arm of the chair, forming a somewhat crude pillow. Her mouth opened in a yawn, and she sat up. How long had she been asleep? Images flooded her mind. Shifting sands, warrior women, a young man with gray-green hair, rain. She shook her head, touching one hand to her forehead. _Was it all a dream, then?_

"Are you alright? Headache?" The young man who watched her anxiously was a co-worker and childhood friend. They had started working in the library within a week of each other. Nodoka shook her head once again. 

"Just a strange dream, I suppose." 

"You ok to get up, or should I stick around a bit longer?" 

"I'm fine, really." He patted her on the shoulder, gave her a quick hug, then moved away to retrieve a stack of books he had left on a nearby table. Nodoka watched him vanish into the stacks of non-fiction, pale green eyes cloudy. She didn't remember leaving the dusty room upstairs. Then again, she didn't remember falling asleep either. Stretching, she stood on shaky legs. Perhaps it would be best if she headed home for the night. She yawned again, her hand touching a half-opened book at her elbow. The binding was beyond worn, and the image inside resembled an old-fashioned asian painting. Her hand touched the book's open pages, and she lifted it into her arms. A loud peal of thunder sounded from outside, and she cringed. Only... no. It wasn't thunder. More like... 

A tiger's roar. 

Her eyes snapped up, certain of what she would see. Before her stood the phantom tiger she had seen once before, golden eyes gleaming, seeming to see past her own eyes and into her soul. The same thunder sounded a second time. The tiger vanished with a blinking of pale green eyes, replaced by a figure illuminated by faint streams of sunlight.A faint peal of thunder echoed in the distance, and Nodoka smiled. 

"This is the reality, and that was the dream... just now." 

"You..." Nodoka looked up sharply to see Guihun's wide eyes staring at her from his faintly-lit corner. Streams of sunlight caught the pair in their early-morning glow. Nodoka stretched, Guihun's overgarment falling from her shoulders. She was immediately reminded of her injured arm by a sharp pain as she shifted to stretch. A beam of sunlight caught her hair, and dark green eyes widened further in horror. "You're.. you're _her._" 

"W-who?" 

"The priestess of Sairou... Byakko no Miko." His face paled. "I'm going to be slaughtered for threatening you." 

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, genuinely confused. Guihun shook his head several times, mumbling something she couldn't quite hear. Guihun-kun, please, tell me. What do you mean?" 

Her companion was silent for some time, listening to early morning sounds of the island outside their shelter. When he finally brought himself to answer, his voice was quiet, barely audible. "The legends tell of a girl who once came to Sairou. She became the _Byakko no Miko_ and gathered to her the shichiseishi of the tiger-god Byakko. She saved the kingdom from desolation with a single wish, but her most desired wish could not be granted, and she left our world in heartache, never to see the one she cared for most within her or his lifetime. I hadn't known... your hair..." His voice dropped away to nothing, his eyes wide, panicked, staring. Nodoka reached behind her, pulling her hair to the front. Holding her hand before her face, she could see reddish-brown dye covering the fingertips and palm. 

"The dye.. it's wearing out." Her voice was quiet as well. Her hair had once been a shade of light brown, but she had decided to dye it dark red only recently. Evidently the hair dye had been something less than permanent. Her bangs fell across her forehead in limp, soggy clumps. Her hair? What did that have to do with anything? But Guihun seemed shaken by her sudden change in hair color. She retrieved his overgarment, offering it to him as she stood. 

"You may as well keep it. With what you're wearing, you'll probably need it. Everywhere other than Sairou it gets pretty cold after the rains." He stood as well, looking to the sky. "When we get away from here, I probably won't need it. We'll have to visit _her._ She's the only one who was around when the Byakko no Miko first came here. She'll know if you are who I think you are. And then..." 

"And then?" 

"Who knows? They'll probably kill me. Just like the others..." His eyes hazed over once again, growing dark. Ghostly tendrils formed around his ankles. "Ne, we should get moving before they get a chance to start searching again." He located a few boxes in the cabin and piled them up beneath the largest hole in the roof of the cabin. He stepped up, grabbing ahold of the half-rotted wood to pull himself onto the deck. Nodoka followed suit, and Guihun helped her up onto the main deck. 

"Guihun-kun, who are you taking me to see?" 

Guihun listened carefully for sounds of search parties already out and about. It seemed to be too early for them to be active yet. He motioned for Nodoka to follow him as he began pulling up the softer floorboards of the deck. "To see Lady Hahm." 

  



	6. Cast Ashore

**A Tiger's Call**

Part 6 - Cast Ashore 

"Who is this _Lady Hahm?_" Nodoka questioned, although Guihun hadn't spoken a word to her since they had set sail aboard the crude raft. The waters had been relatively calm, perhaps in deference to his dark mood. He seemed to have a way with water, afterall. She glanced in his direction, uncertain if he had heard her. He had, by the look on his face. _How best to explain it..?_

"She is - like me. One of the Byakko shichiseishi, although she was one of the original seven when the first priestess came." He sounded tired, and Nodoka began to wonder if he were keeping the waters calm and moving in the correct direction through sheer force of will. She watched the horizon, scanning for some sign of land. Before they had left, Guihun had made a point of telling her how much of a distance it was from the hidden isle of Nyosei to the mainland. 

"So then..." She paused. "I'm sorry, I -" 

"Just go ahead. Whatever it is." 

"O..okay. If Lady Hahm was one of the original shichiseishi, then how can she still be alive? Were you one of the original seven as well?" 

"Time magic." 

"What?" 

"Time magic. Her seishi ability was time magic. She could prevent herself from aging, in other words. Pretty powerful. As for me.. I'm one of the new-age seishi. For a priestess, there can only be seven seishi. There's no overlap; the legends are pretty clear." He took several deep breaths, and she figured it would be best not to ask any more questions until they arrived at their destination. She pulled the jacket-like garment he had given her tighter about her body, leaning her head against the crude pillow formed by her arms crossed on her knees. 

****************** 

There was a howling in the air. A joyful howling that sounded much as a mournful howling would. Few, in fact, could tell the difference. Along the shore where a tiny island met the ocean sat a wolfish creature. It was staring out across the water as if expecting something, more humanly than animal-like. Perhaps its likeness to a human in behavior stemmed from the young boy seated on the rocks above. The boy, as well, stared out across the water in anticipation. 

"Well, t'en, 'ave ye found anythin' yet?" 

"I don't believe so." The wolf looked over one shaggy shoulder to stare at the approaching dark-haired figure as the boy spoke. The figure stopped at the base of the rocks, looking first at the ocean, then at the child. 

"Ye dun t'ink so? I'd 'ave t'ought it was an easy question. Yes 'r no, eh?" The boy didn't reply, and the wolf returned its attention to the expanse of water. "They'll be wantin' ye back a' the 'ouse, soon, I'd wager." She blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I dun like 't, Bier'n. I keep gettin' this feelin' tha' somet'in's comin', but 'aving ye sittin' out 'ere for this long.. che, ye're not listenin', are ye?" 

"There **is** something out there," the boy answered calmly; the wolf seemed otherwise occupied, its tail swishing back and forth much as a cat's is apt to do. The dark-haired young woman squinted into the distance. 

"I dun see any'hin'. Ye sure?" 

"Yes. Yinse sees it too." 

"If ye say so." She gave up, unable to see anything but water stretching away from the shore. The boy and the wolf had already forgotten her presence. Shrugging, she left them to return to the lean-to that she and the two other members of her crew had constructed. Lun and Chi seemed as nervous as she as she neared. A shake of her head told them all they needed to know. While something might be heading in their direction, it was neither within sight nor any closer than it had been several hours before when Bieren had mentioned it. 

Bieren was a strange one, far too quiet for a child so young. He had been on the island when the trio were washed ashore, although it had been the wolf who had found them. The pair seemed inseparable, which simply meant that it wasn't necessary to worry about the boy's safety. One less person to worry about was always good. The boy had introduced himself as Bieren, and the wolf as Yinse. He seemed very particular about them pronouncing the wolf's name correctly. The woman shrugged at the memory. He was, afterall, a strange kid. 

"Oi, Beike, is th' kid goin' to come back anytime soon?" 

"Can' say." 

"Ehh.. 'e'll probably 'ust stay out 'here all night. Seems pretty damn excited 'bout somethin'." The three laughed; Bieren never seemed excited about anything. Or happy. Or angry. He simply seemed to take everything as it was, with no need to react to it. Truthfully, they liked him better when he stayed with Yinse, somewhere remote. 

Beike sighed, following the other two to the back of the lean-to. They had been building a boat from what little materials they had salvaged of their original vessel and the few resources they had located on the tiny island. The three of them had worked quickly, fueled by the desire to head home again. It had been nearly a year and a half since they had landed here, although they had no idea where 'here' was. The island hadn't been on any maps, although it had been a relief after the storm that ripped apart their ship and sent the majority of the crew to a watery grave. As for Bieren, they couldn't tell how long _he_ had been on the island, or even if he wanted to leave with them once they had completed constructing a sea-worthy vessel. They assumed he would, but he _was_ a rather unusual child. 

She picked up a hammer and a crude set of nails and began reinforcing one portion of the boat's side. From the rocks came the sound of Yinse's howls again, and Beike shivered. Beside her, Lun made a motion to ward of evil. She couldn't see Chi's reaction, but could assume it was similar. The howling stopped suddenly, replaced by the quick running footsteps of the wolf as she advanced on the three sailors. She managed to knock over Beike in one leap, then bounded off the stunned woman's chest to sit on the ground as quietly as if nothing had happened. Beike pulled herself to her feet, checking for injuries and the hammer that had dropped from her hand. Yinse watched her with silent amusement, cocking her head to the side. 

"'ell, what did ye come runnin' o'er 'ere for?" Beike demanded, staring the wolf squarely in her hauntingly dark eyes. 

"It came." 

"'n wha' might tha' be?" Beike hardly noticed that the voice that had answered her seemed to come from both behind her and from the wolf. Yinse cocked her head to one side again, and Beike felt foolish speaking to an animal as if it were human. She turned to see Bieren closeby, although she had not heard his approach. The voice that responded had been his, and not the wolf's. 

"The raft we've been watching," the boy answered simply, before turning and walking back towards the shore. The wolf followed him, slowing down to match his pace as she reached his side. 

"A raf'..." The trio dropped their tools and hurried after the boy, stumbling over each other and various rocks and shrubs in their haste. The boy ignored them, although the wolf looked back every now and then in amusement. Beike and her companions slowed, catching their breaths as the raft came into view. It was half on the shore, the water pushing it the rest of the way until it was completely on dry ground. A girl with pale brown hair was slowly moving to get off the raft, but her companion seemed to be unconscious and badly shaken. 

"O-oh!" The girl wobbled uncertainly as she attempted to stand. A furry form pressed against the backs of her legs, helping her maintain balance. She petted Yinse's furry head affectionately, offering thanks. Gazing around, she noticed her unconscious companion and knelt beside the raft. 

"Guihun-kun?" 

"G'ihun??" Beike blinked in surprise. She _had_ heard correctly. Guihun.. the name brought back memories. The trio stepped over to the raft, and Beike joined the girl on the sand. "'f that's who I thin' 't is, then 'e's 'n ol' friend o' mine. Where'd ye get shipwrecke' from?" 

The girl seemed to struggle for a response, looking from Guihun's still form to Beike's tanned face. "An island. They called it 'Nyosei,' I think." Beike whistled through her teeth. It was one thing to get shipwrecked heading from Kairou to Hokkan. It was quite another to travel to and escape from the hidden island of Nyosei. 

"Th' name's Beike." The sailor extended a hand. 

"Nodoka." She shook it. 

"Welcome." The voice startled them both, and Beike looked first to the wolf with another surprised stare. Nodoka's eyes went the young boy standing behind the sailors. "Welcome, Priestess of Byakko." 

Above his left eye, something glowed a faint white. 

  



End file.
